


4π (i.e. 720 degrees)

by salanaland



Series: Skywalker Family Feels [13]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Anakin Skywalker's C+ Grandparenting, Force Choking (Star Wars), Force Ghost Anakin Skywalker, Gen, Kylo Ren Doesn't Recognize Anakin Skywalker, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo Ren Needs A Brain Transplant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22747144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salanaland/pseuds/salanaland
Summary: Sometimes a dead former Jedi just needs to sort out a few misconceptions in his bratty grandson's brain.
Series: Skywalker Family Feels [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1616419
Comments: 16
Kudos: 228





	4π (i.e. 720 degrees)

**Author's Note:**

> "The circle is now complete." - Darth Vader

There's someone in his quarters, wearing Jedi clothes and poking at his _stuff_ , and Kylo Ren _isn't having it_. "Begone."

"You've got an...interesting collection here." The intruder tsks to himself and shakes his head. "Not sure why you'd want _this_ half-melted old thing, though." He looks up, meeting Kylo's glower with mild curiosity. 

"You _dare_ trespass here, Jedi?"

The intruder looks enormously pleased for some reason. "You have _no idea_ who I am, do you, Ben?" 

"And you think _you_ know who _I_ am?" Kylo hones his rage into a weapon and lashes out at the intruder's throat. Crushing the insufferable Jedi's trachea will shut him up for sure. 

Except that the man just laughs with incredulous pity. "Are you _kidding_ me, Ben? You _actually_ just tried to choke _me_?" 

"That is _not_ my name!" His lightsaber snaps into his hands, the blade hissing and humming and screaming into existence right through the Jedi's heart. 

"Very poetic," the Jedi says. "I can't say I didn't deserve that. Say, when you tortured that kyber crystal, did you make it _bleed_ and _cry_ or did you, I don't know, _crush it like a sand roach_? It's kind of spewing its innards everywhere. You might want to try to fix that before it overloads and blows your hands off." He wiggles the fingers of his mechanical right hand, which looks like an even more obsolete version of the one that Kylo's unc... _enemy_ , Luke Skywalker, used to have. 

Also, how is it that a _Jedi_ knows how to make the characteristic red lightsaber of the Dark Side? 

The comlink pings, and Kylo reaches out with the Force to toggle it to voice only. "What is it?"

"Supreme Leader, we are now in orbit around Mustafar. Shall I ready your shuttle?" 

The Jedi apparition gives Kylo a double thumbs-up. "Supreme Leader? Well done! Your mother almost got elected First Senator, you know, while we're discussing meaningless titles created by insufferable egotists. Of course, _I_ kind of scuttled that one for her..." 

"...Yes. I will leave as soon as I've attended to my business here." Kylo tries to keep his voice commanding, even while the Jedi is flicking his metal fingers against the saber blade with an expression of mild curiosity.

"Very good, sir." The comlink flicks off, and it's back to the two of them. Although, since the Jedi is obviously only a projection, does he really _count_? 

"And Mustafar, hm? I hear it's absolutely horrible this time of year. Actually, it's awful all the time. Why would you even _want_ to go there?" 

"There's something I seek there. An...heirloom, of sorts." Kylo retracts his blade, annoyed to have wasted his time, _again_ , on some Jedi playing at projecting around the galaxy to sass him. "And once I have it, I'll hunt _you_ down and bring you here, since you like Mustafar _so much_."

"And do what? Chop off all my limbs and dunk me in the lava?" The Jedi scoffs. "Weirdly appropriate, _Ben_ , but I'll pass. You know what the younglings say, _been there, done that, got the full body armor._ " He gestures to the mask. "But you already knew that, right? You always were a smart boy. Taking after your mother. And _her_ mother." He smiles sadly. "I keep telling Leia not to blame herself. Children are _difficult_ , they'll be rebellious _just because_. Who'd know that better than _me_?" 

Kylo realizes suddenly who he's talking to, and scowls. "You know, I used to _look up to you_. The powerful Dark Lord of the Sith. I had _dreams_ and _visions_ of you. Now I find you're just...a _Jedi_. A weak Jedi _ghost_ , at that. Seeking to wound with words because you can't actually _do_ anything." He shakes his head. "I confess I find myself disappointed."

His grandfather says mildly, "Not too disappointed to try the same on _me_ , I see, after all my other tricks failed you." He tilts his head towards the mask that once was his. "Don't underestimate the power of words. The right words, taken to heart, can be stronger than all the power of the Dark Side. Even identity theft."

Kylo sneers. "There's no words more powerful than--" 

Anakin interrupts quietly, "' _Father, please, help me_.' That's what it was for me." He closes his eyes in memory, radiant and serene. "And someone someday will say the right words to you, and you'll realize that the Dark Side has no power of its own, only what it steals from those it enslaves." 

"Oh, and what are the Light Side's powers again? The _bonds of family_? Should I remind you that I _killed_ my father? He went to his death trusting that _I_ was _like you._ " Kylo laughs harshly, although it rings a bit hollow in the acoustics of his chambers. "The surprise and betrayal on his face filled me with such power, you have _no_ idea."

"Ooh, that was almost believable," Anakin congratulates his grandson. "I mean, _I_ can tell that you killed him because you were afraid of his power over you, his love for you, and yours for him. He came to you willingly _because_ he is your father, and he couldn't _not_ offer his life for the hope of saving you."

Kylo snorts. "No! That's not it at all. That's all really, really...foolish!"

" _I_ find it admirable, of course, and I haven’t always been the biggest fan of your father."

"I'm sure he'd be _so_ happy to know that." 

"Somewhat. Mostly he felt like he'd failed you when you needed him."

"I didn't--" The comlink pings again, and Kylo activates it irritably. "What is it?" 

"Ahh... Sir, your shuttle is standing by in Bay 1."

Kylo snaps, "I'll be there in my own time."

"Very good, sir." The comlink clicks off again. 

"I _could_ kill you, you know," Anakin says pleasantly. "I mean, you did do your _very best_ to kill my son, and we all know how I feel about that sort of thing."

Kylo pauses in the act of putting on his cape. "You're _dead_. You can't touch me, and I can't touch you. We've already established that. All you have left are _words_. Oh," he adds with scorn. "And _love_. _Compassion_. Your great weakness. Your literally fatal flaw."

Anakin shrugs. "You've only shown that _you're_ powerless against _me_." He waves negligently, and his warped mask flies across the room, slamming into Kylo's chest hard enough to bruise. "As I'm _sure_ you know, this mask is much larger than, say, your trachea?" He makes a pinching motion. 

Kylo claws against the pressure on his throat. "You can't _kill_ me. You _won't_. Your own flesh and blood."

Anakin smiles and opens his hand, and the pressure vanishes. "You say love is _weak_ ," he chides. "You mock the bonds of family. You scorn sentimentality, attachment, compassion. But you knew they would protect you."

Kylo snarls in rage and throws the mask, denting the wall. "I have no need of your _love_!" 

The mask flies back at him. "I disagree. And please allow me to demonstrate the power of words now. You ready? _Take my mask_."

"No!" Kylo throws it again, and it comes back to him. 

"I guess I was wrong about you," Anakin says mildly, returning his mask again and again to his grandson. "You must have inherited your brains from _me_."

"I--don't-- _need_ \--this!" Kylo rages, trying to bat the mask away. 

"Oh, so you think I stashed _all my best loot_ on the planet where I _nearly died_ , and didn't rig the place with every trap I could build?" Anakin rolls his eyes. "Take the mask with you. It's keyed to bypass some of the locks and security systems. Because you're being a fool, but I still don't want you to _die_ , grandson."

Kylo closes his hand around the mask and sullenly tucks it into his cloak. 

"Oh, one more thing," Anakin adds. "There's one panel that's up really high. Around your eye level, I suppose." He leans closer and whispers conspiratorially, "You have to _lick_ it."

"Lick it?!" Kylo draws back, revolted. 

"There's a switch to make the room hyperbaric temporarily, so do that, and then really stick your tongue into your cheek and scrape it around right before you lick the panel," Anakin pulls back the corner of his mouth to demonstrate. "It's a DNA lock, so it should let you pass, but obviously I couldn't trigger it with my _fingers_ , so..." He shrugs. "Saliva. Still had that."

Kylo shudders, looking horrified, and stomps out. Anakin calls after him, "Love you too!" Then, under his breath, he mutters, "Take Sidious for a long vertical walk, will you? For old times' sake."


End file.
